What do they do?

Provide therapy to patients with visual impairments to improve their functioning in daily life activities. May train patients in activities such as computer use, communication skills, or home management skills.

Also known as:

Certified Low Vision Therapist (CLVT), Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS), Mobility Specialist, Orientation and Mobility Instructor (O and M Instructor), Orientation and Mobility Specialist (O and M Specialist), Rehabilitation Teacher, Rehabilitation Therapist, Students with Visual Impairments Teacher (TVI), Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (VRT), Visually Impaired Teacher (TVI)

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Occupational Therapists is projected to grow 13 percent from 2020 to 2030, faster than average compared to all occupations.

Projected Employment in OH

No Data Available
  • 13.3%

    Change

    Ranks #43 in job growth rate
    430

    Job Openings

    Ranks #8 in net job growth

Best colleges for Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (7%)
  • Master's degree  (55%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (31%)
  • Associate's degree  (4%)
  • Some college, no degree  (1%)
  • High school diploma equivalent  (1%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (<1%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists

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People in this career often have these skills:

  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
  • Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  • Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
  • Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Instruct patients in the use of assistive equipment.
  • Recommend types of assistive devices.
  • Develop treatment plans that use non-medical therapies.
  • Prepare reports summarizing patient diagnostic or care activities.
  • Train patients, family members, or caregivers in techniques for managing disabilities or illnesses.
  • Evaluate patient functioning, capabilities, or health.
  • Advocate for individual or community needs.
  • Teach life skills or strategies to clients or their families.
  • Train caregivers or other non-medical personnel.
  • Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
  • Diagnose medical conditions.
  • Prepare healthcare training materials.
  • Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
  • Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
  • Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
  • Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
  • Refer patients to other healthcare practitioners or health resources.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

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